Celebrations of Foundress' day

Every year Foundress’ day is celebrated in memory of services rendered by Nano Nagle for the poor and the needy. On 26th April 2016 this day was celebrated by the staff and students of Presentation Convent school Murree Pakistan with great love and enthusiasm.

Children paid their tribute to Nano and sisters through songs, speeches, dances on the songs ‘There was a time’ and ‘We are standing on the shoulders of the ones who’ve gone before us’ and a tableau. These performances were highly appreciated by the school community.

Below are two speeches delivered by our Muslim students.

Nano Nagle

Afifa Ateeq, Grade 10

Nano Nagle opened her eyes in 1718 in Ballygrifin Co.Cork. She was an Irish lady. Nano Nagle lived in a period in Irish history when the English had imposed Penal laws. In those days, Irish people were denied access economically, politically, socially and educationally. Catholics who dared to teach were subjected to heavy fines, confiscations, and periods of imprisonment. The first “Act of 1695” made it unlawful to open a Catholic School. At home Nano is believed to have attended a hedge school and then she, with her sister Anne, was smuggled to France. After their father’s death in 1746, she and her sister returned to Ireland and went to live with their mother in Dublin, where they found widespread poverty. She returned to Paris intending to enter an Ursuline Convent, but a spiritual director advised her to return to Ireland and take up the education of deprived children there.

Nano founded her first school in 1754 in Cove Lane,Co Cork with about 30 students. By 1757 she had opened seven schools five for girls and two for boys. Nano Nagle began to visit the sick and the elderly after school. She went from hovel to hovel each day to gather the needy children to teach them. Night time ministries to poverty-ridden elderly and sick in the town gave Nano the nick name of “The Lady with the Lantern”. The lantern later became the symbol of the sisters of the Presentation worldwide. Nano died of tuberculosis on 26th April 1784. By the time she died a group of women who had helped with Teresa Mullaly’s project in Dublin joined with Nano’s Cork group. The group then became the Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation and now this Congregation works worldwide.

Love one another

Eman Amjad, Grade 10

Respected Sisters, teachers and my school fellows Assalam-o-Alikum. The topic on which I am going to express my views is “Love one another”. Love is known to be one of the most important human values. Everyone wants to love and to be loved. Virtually everyone is capable of this wonderful feeling. Love is of a multifaceted nature. Sometimes because of it we may think that our beloved people have qualities they really do not have. At the same time, the feeling helps reveal all the positive features of the person we love. As Venerable Nano Nagle said ‘Love one another as you have hitherto done.’

In loving one another through our works we bring an increase of grace and a growth in divine love. We must love one another and see in one another the creativity of the soul. Show love and care to all the people around you and to those you meet in your life today. So when someone asks you, “Are you in love?” Then you can proudly answer, “No, love is in me!”

Heart to heart, soul to soul, as we love we change the world. Love one another and help others to rise to higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy. Michael Leunig said: “Love one another and you will be happy. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.” So learn to love with all your heart and accept the unlovable side of others. For anyone can love a rose but it takes a great heart to include the thorns.

Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. Love one another but make not a bond of love let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but don’t drink from one cup. Give one another your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous but let each one of you be alone. Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Final words of Nano to her sisters ‘Love one another as you have hitherto done’. Nano’s soul and these words still continue to live in the hearts of Presentation sisters worldwide. Like Nano, our beloved sisters in Murree also carry the lantern of God’s love to the children through their presence and prayers. May we continue to experience God’s love through our sisters and be a loving presence for others.